Several departments and programs on campus are getting a change of scenery with the onset of the fall semester.

The Philosophy Department recently finished relocating to the third floor of Mendocino Hall, said department Chair Thomas Pyne. The department was previously located on the fourth floor of Amador Hall.

In early September, the Cooper-Woodson College Enhancement Program will move into philosophy?s vacated spot, moving it closer to the Ethnic Studies Department, with which the college works closely. Cooper-Woodson is a program aimed at providing African American students with cultural and spiritual education as well as support, according to the program?s Web site.

Though philosophy is already packed and moved, Cooper-Woodson is still waiting at its current location in Foley Hall for word on when it will relocate, said Assistant Program Coordinator Martinique Baker. The tentative move date is Sept. 15.

“They?ve been telling us all summer that we?ll be going (to Amador Hall) this semester,” Baker said, “but we?re still here.”

Pyne said the move was a little hectic, particularly since it occurred so close to the beginning of the semester, but everything has settled down now.

“It was getting a little scary, but we?re happy to be here,” Pyne said.

It?s not unusual for programs and departments to be shuffled around from time to time, particularly with the need for facilities the recent surge in student enrollment has created, said Public Affairs Assistant News Director Frank Whitlatch.

“To use the buildings the best you?ve got to move people around,” Whitlatch said.

One of the reasons for the move is so Cooper-Woodson can work more closely with the Ethnic Studies Department, Baker said. The program?s director, David Covin, is a professor in ethnic studies.

Pyne said he doesn?t mind the department?s new home, particularly because Mendocino is much closer to other buildings on campus than Amador, which is located next to the Library.

“Now we?re a bit more in the center of things,” Pyne said.

Students shouldn?t have a hard time adjusting to the respective new locations, Whitlatch said.

“I?m sure it?s just a matter of putting signs up on the doors and letting the (students) figure it out,” Whitlatch said.